CDEL will honor Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan with its Impact Award for her tireless advocacy and foresight in creating the Civil Legal Aid Mortgage Foreclosure Projects. This Program is providing nearly $25 million in funding from the national foreclosure settlement reached in 2012 to Illinois legal assistance program, which addresses the current foreclosure crisis by providing homeowners and renters access to the justice system.

The Corporate Partner Award will be presented to the law firm of Baker & McKenzie. The firm was a founder of CDEL nearly 30 years ago and has served as its guardian since then. Many lawyers at Baker & McKenzie have served on CDEL's Governing Board in key leadership positions, donating generously of their time and talent. Baker & McKenzie and their corporate clients participate in several Senior Center Initiative workshops each year and Baker & McKenzie attorneys have worked on dozens of legal matters for CDEL clients over the years.

The Volunteer of the Year Award is being presented to Jane Hesse, who has donated more than 10,000 hours of volunteer time during her 17 years as a volunteer. Ms. Hesse has triumphed over disabilities she incurred in a car accident 22 years ago. An attorney since 1996, Jane has tirelessly handled many of CDEL's Guardianship cases, representing clients seeking guardianships over individuals with disabilities. Ms. Hesse has represented literally hundreds of CDEL clients over the years and is a perennial role model to all our volunteers.

For the second consecutive year, the "Light Up the Loop" Winter Awards Benefit is chaired by CDEL Board member Theresa Jaffe, principal of Theresa Jaffe Consulting. "We are thrilled to have Theresa heading up our Winter Awards Benefit again this year," stated Matt Jenkins, President of the CDEL Governing Board. "We are grateful to Theresa for her vision and dedication to CDELís mission and for guiding every aspect of this event including our fundraising activities," added Mr. Jenkins.

"We have three very distinguished award recipients whose contributions to our community are exceptional," stated Jaffe. "Our Board, Young Professionals Board and volunteer team are working diligently to help CDEL accomplish its mission. We are all looking forward to celebrating CDELís success and contributing in a meaningful way to its future. We are very grateful to the companies and law firms that have joined us as sponsors and are looking forward to an inspiring evening as we honor our very deserving awardees and recognize CDELís important work."

"Our extraordinary Board leadership and the support of our event sponsors is vital to our growth and ability to serve our vulnerable clients who look to us for legal assistance," noted Susan Keegan, Executive Director of CDEL.